Beam was raised outside Columbia, South Carolina, United States where his father worked in land management and his mother was a schoolteacher. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a bachelor's degree and the Florida State University Film School with an MFA degree. Until the first Iron & Wine album, Beam's main source of income was as a professor of film and cinematography at the University of Miami and Miami International University of Art & Design. He had been writing songs for over seven years before a friend lent him a four-track recorder. His friends handed out copies of demos that he had made, and the owner of Sub Pop Records personally contacted Beam and proposed a deal.
Beam released his first album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, on the Sub Pop label in 2002; Beam wrote, performed, recorded, and produced every track on the album by himself at a studio in his home. The album features acoustic guitars, banjo, and slide guitar; its music has been compared, variously, to that of Nick Drake, Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young, Elliott Smith, and Ralph Stanley.
In 2003 The Sea & The Rhythm was released, an EP collecting other home-recorded tracks along the same lines as those on the debut. Beam's second album, Our Endless Numbered Days (2004), was recorded in a professional studio with a significant increase in fidelity. The focus still lies on acoustic material, but the inclusion of other band members gives rise to a very different sound.
Beam released an EP titled Woman King in February 2005, and the EP In the Reins, a collaboration with Calexico was released in September 2005. This joint work mostly features new full-band versions of previously recorded Iron and Wine rarities.
One of his most famous songs is a cover, which was featured on a commercial for M&M’s candies and in the 2004 film “Garden State” (and on its popular soundtrack), of "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service.
"Kiss Each Other Clean" is the fourth studio album by Iron & Wine, released January 25, 2011. The album's title is taken from the lyrics of track 10, "Your Fake Name Is Good Enough for Me". The album marks a further change in style – in an interview with SPIN magazine, Beam said “It’s more of a focused pop record. It sounds like the music people heard in their parent’s car growing up… that early-to-mid-’70s FM, radio-friendly music."
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Watch and Chain
Iron & Wine Lyrics
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This time we walk together beside the slow black river
Water-walking over mud you whisper something
Something good in my ear, so I stop so I can hear:
"Darling, I'm the one to blame, I threw your watch and chain
To where I don't know, inside the tall grass meadow
You'll forget, forget in time, remember this:
Your hand in mine forever, beside the slow black river"
But time it has no meaning when her and me are walking
Darling, I'm the one to blame, I love you still
And timeless now forever together by the river
The lyrics to "Watch And Chain" by Iron & Wine are deeply reflective and melancholic, conveying a sense of both loss and redemption. The singer seems to have lost his watch and chain, but in the grand scheme of things, time is not what matters most. He walks with his lover beside a "slow black river," a symbol of eternity and the continuity of life. As they walk over the mud, she whispers something good in his ear, something that fills him with renewed hope and purpose.
However, as the song progresses, it becomes clear that their love is not perfect. The singer admits that he is the one to blame for the loss of his watch and chain, a valuable possession that represents his attachment to worldly goods. Yet, despite his flaws, he loves his partner deeply and is willing to forgive her for what she has done. In his eyes, their love is beyond time and material possessions, and they will be together by the river for eternity.
Overall, "Watch And Chain" is a poignant and introspective ballad that explores the complexity of love and time. It challenges the notion that material possessions have any real value in the grand scheme of things, and instead emphasizes the importance of human connection and emotional depth.
Line by Line Meaning
Lost my watch, watch and chain, but time's not lost
I lost my physical possessions, but time cannot be lost.
This time we walk together beside the slow black river
We are walking by the calm and unhurried river together.
Water-walking over mud you whisper something
As we walk on the muddy water, you whisper something to me.
Something good in my ear, so I stop so I can hear:
You whisper a positive message to me, so I stop to listen carefully.
"Darling, I'm the one to blame, I threw your watch and chain
My love, I am the one responsible for losing your possessions.
To where I don't know, inside the tall grass meadow
I do not know where I lost them, possibly in the tall grass meadow.
You'll forget, forget in time, remember this:
You may forget about your lost possessions, but remember this:
Your hand in mine forever, beside the slow black river"
We will be together forever, holding hands by the calm river.
Lost my watch, watch and chain, to her today
I lost my possessions to her today.
But time it has no meaning when her and me are walking
When we are together, time does not hold significance.
"Darling, I'm the one to blame, I love you still
My love, I am responsible, but I still love you.
And timeless now forever together by the river
We will be together forever, beside the calm river.
Contributed by Jackson T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Esoteric Veritas
Best era of Iron & Wine imo - that first record is just ace!!!
graciousfew2
Yes, I sometimes wish the audio was better, but those early songs, wow.